IMMUNE RESPONSE

A study led by Monica Vaccari, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane National Primate Research Center, suggests that in the early weeks of post-infection of COVID-19, the stronger the initial host immune response, the worse the disease outcome. While the body mounts a pro-inflammatory “innate” immune response as a first line of defense to protect against the spread of infection and heal damaged tissue, it is a dysregulated or over-reactive immune response that can cause severe damage, Vaccari’s study explains.

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